Turf grass (sod) is a living organism that must be handled properly to ensure its survival when it is removed from one location and transplanted to another. Sod is generally harvested using large machinery that cuts slabs of sod from the soil. Typically, a sod harvester employs one or more inclined conveyors to elevate the sod from the ground to a horizontal conveyor. A stacking head is then used to pick up the sod from the horizontal conveyor and stack it on a pallet.
Two general types of harvesters exist: slab harvesters; and roll harvesters. A roll harvester forms the slabs of sod into rolls which are then accumulated on the horizontal conveyor for pick up. A slab harvester, on the other hand, directly stacks the slabs in their flat form. With either type of harvester, the speed at which the harvester can remove sod from the horizontal conveyor and stack it oftentimes is the controlling factor that determines how fast the harvester can operate.